Caribbean Jerk Grilled Turkey Tenderloin Kabobs

As the weather is heating up, it’s time to fire up that grill and whip up some yummy summer meals. Just in time for your summer barbecues, I present to you a delicious grilled turkey tenderloin recipe – Caribbean Jerk Turkey Kabobs!

I know many people’s grilling go-to’s are usually chicken or beef, but there are so many more possibilities. Think fish, fruit, veggies – and yes, turkey! I was super excited when the National Turkey Federation teamed up with me for this blog post so I could share a taste-tastic {yep, I just invented that word…} recipe.

{Disclosure – this post is sponsored.}

While turkey is usually topping the table at Thanksgiving, it’s actually a very versatile protein that can be used year round. It adapts really well to different flavor profiles, from Thai to Indian to Mexican. You can find tons of inspiration for different types of turkey recipes here. {Thai lemongrass turkey salad? Turkey chili with black beans? Grilled breakfast pizza with turkey sausage? That site has got all those recipes and more!}

With all the summer cookouts coming up, I wanted to create a better-for-you option that you can toss on the grill to share at your next get-together. And I also wanted to make sure that it was easy and quick. And of course, it has to taste good. And I’ve had these skewers lying around for a few months just begging to be used, so of course I had to break ‘em out for this too.

Once all those ideas meshed around in my head and I sat staring at those skewers for a bit, I came up with these Caribbean Jerk Grilled Turkey Tenderloin Kabobs. Ding ding – we have a winner!

These grilled turkey tenderloin kabobs are the stuff! {Fo’ real.}

Here’s the checklist I asked myself as I was brainstorming the recipe and testing it out.

Do the jerk turkey kabobs have…

Lean protein? Check, thanks to that turkey. {Fellow runners & triathletes: this is great for muscle repair and recovery!}

Lots of vitamins and minerals? Check. {The turkey and the additional kabob ingredients – mango, pineapple and red bell peppers – are all rich in different vitamins and minerals, from iron to potassium to Vitamins A and C.}

Less than 10 ingredients? Check. {I know you fellow mamas are happy about that right now.}

Easy for anyone to make? Check. {Even if you hate cooking, this recipe is seriously so easy to throw together.}

For that easy to make part, I’m talking seriously easy – you just mix the turkey with the spices, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, and a little olive oil. Let that baby sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Then you pop the turkey, pepper, pineapple and mango on the skewers…

And then you cook it and eat ’em up!

It’s going to be a new summer staple for my family, and I hope you’ll try it out for yours too! If you need more turkey inspiration – including additional recipes, tips for using different cuts of turkey and nutrition info, be sure to check out the Serve Turkey Facebook and Twitter Pages.

Perfect for summer, these Caribbean Jerk Grilled Turkey Tenderloin Kabobs are an easy family-friendly dinner made on the grill.

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Snacking in Sneakers

Ingredients

1 1/2lbsturkey tenderloin (cut into approximately 1 inch pieces)

2tspCaribbean Jerk seasoning blend

1/2lime, juiced

1/2tbsphoney

1tbsplower sodium soy sauce

2tspolive oil

2cupspineapple, chopped into 1 inch pieces

2cupsmango, chopped into 1 inch pieces

1large red bell pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces

Instructions

Place turkey which has been cut into approximately 1 inch pieces in a bowl. Toss with jerk seasoning, lime juice, honey, soy sauce and olive oil. Place in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop pineapple, mango and bell pepper, and prepare grill.

Remove turkey from fridge. Alternate placing turkey on skewers with pineapple, mango, and bell pepper. {Note – I use metal reusable skewers, but if you use wood ones be sure to soak them ahead of time.}

Grill kabobs for approximately 5 minutes, then turn over and continue grilling for another 4-8 minutes* or until turkey is cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165 F.

Recipe Notes

Notes:

The specific cooking time will vary based on your grill type and heat. I recommend checking a few minutes after turning. The best way to assess if they're done is to check the temperature and ensure a minimum temp of 165 degrees.

Share with me: What’s your favorite way to cook turkey? Do you ever experiment with it outside of Thanksgiving? What’s your favorite type of grilled turkey tenderloin dish for the summer?

Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.

I’ve been to Jamaica once and one of my fondest memories is of me eating jerk chicken every single day, a couple times a day…with a Red Strip beer! YUM When I came home, I started roasting jerk chickens all the time. So good. Your recipe look great, I haven’t tried it on turkey.

All these comments from people who have not yet made the recipe! And then, not 1 follow up! Makes me wonder why? Maybe because these kabobs turned out tough, tasteless, or all of the above? Me thinks that responses to a recipe should be actual experiences with the recipe and not just 1 or 2 sentences of fluff. How about it people? Anybody actually make this? Compare your experiences with mine- The turkey gets dried out. As you would expect by trying to get the mango and the pineapple to caramelize on a skewer. And the pepper remains raw and that is okay if you like raw pepper. Most do not!. My remedy was to cut the turkey into 2 inch chunks and then grill them separately. Same with the mango and the pineapple. Do the pepper in a hot skillet with a little neutral oil and get good color on both sides. BTW, adding chunks of charred onions and 1 or 2 charred jalapeno peppers will add lots of textures and a few additional levels of flavor to this recipe. Please let me know how you like this recipe after you actually make it! .

Hi Robin! I’m sorry to hear about your experience with this. I have made these kabobs many times and enjoy them, as do my family. I find the carribean jerk seasoning adds a ton of flavor, and find the texture of the pepper to be fine (though I do enjoy firmer peppers). But I certainly realize that we all have different taste and texture preferences, so thanks for sharing your adaptations to this recipe for others to see.

I think caramelizing is a low and slow process, so that might not work well on the grill. My family loves kababs but we do argue over how well the veggies should be cooked. We solve that by cooking out own to taste!